真ん丸
Meanings
perfectly round; perfect circle
Used as a noun or na-adjective for a shape that is completely round, such as a circle, disk, full moon, or round object. The variants 真ん円 and まん円 belong mainly to this literal sense.
The full moon looked perfectly round.
It is hard to draw a neat perfect circle freehand.
adorably round; cute
Only when written 真ん丸 / まん丸
Affectionate, casual use, especially in speech by women or children, for something cute because it is round, plump, or round-eyed. It is not a general replacement for 可愛い.
This hamster is so adorably round!
The baby with cute round cheeks gave a little smile.
Usage patterns
- 〈物〉が真ん丸だsomething is perfectly round
The moon in the sky was perfectly round.
- 真ん丸な顔a perfectly round (chubby, cute) face
The baby's perfectly round face is so cute.
- 目を真ん丸にするto widen one's eyes (in surprise)
She widened her eyes in surprise.
- 真ん丸な〈物〉a perfectly round (object)
A perfectly round ball rolled across the yard.